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Minnesota Vikings make Mike Zimmer next head coach

Minnesota Vikings make Mike Zimmer next head coach

Mike Zimmer

By MARK CRAIG and MASTER TESFATSIONStar Tribune (Minneapolis)

MINNEAPOLIS- Mike Zimmer, known as a no-nonsense disciplinarian, is the new coach of the Minnesota Vikings.

A 20-year veteran NFL assistant coach who worked with Hall of Famer Bill Parcells in Dallas before turning the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense around as their defensive coordinator the past six seasons, Zimmer will be named the ninth head coach in the Vikings’ 54-year history.

Zimmer, a 57-year-old who has never been a head coach at any level, replaces Leslie Frazier, who was fired on Dec. 30, and becomes the third head coach hired since current owners Zygi and Mark Wilf bought the team in 2005.

The hiring on Wednesday came six years to the day Zimmer was brought in by the Bengals as their defensive coordinator.

“It’s a good hire,” said defensive end Brian Robison. “I think he’s one of those guys that’s very passionate. Obviously he’s going to expect the best out of his players week-in, week-out, and I think it’s a great job. (General manager) Rick (Spielman) and the (staff) did their homework as far as interviewing a bunch of guys and came up with what best suits our organization.”

The intense Zimmer will be a change from Frazier, who was usually calm and collected.

“We’ve got the guys in the locker room to handle any type of coach they throw at us,” Robison said. “We got a lot of mentally tough guys that, if you look at our season last year, things weren’t going the way they needed to be. Guys stayed in and fought hard, so I think we have guys that can pretty much handle anything in that locker room.”

Although the Vikings seem to have a need offensively at quarterback, they struggled mightily on defense in the 2013 season, when they were 5-10-1. With money to spend in free agency, their defense might be rebuilt.

“I’ve heard nothing but great things about him,” said Vikings safety Jamarca Sanford. “I heard he’s a passionate coach, a player coach, a man of respect. That’s what you want out of a head coach.

“I like the way he communicates with the players on the sidelines, he’ll get in your face and he’s aggressive. I love that as a defensive player. That’s what every defensive player wants.”

The Vikings were 31st in total defense last season, and Zimmer’s aggressive Bengals defense was third overall, with great balance. Cincinnati was fifth against both the pass and the run.

“You see the things he did in Cincinnati,” Sanford said. “They were playing great defense out there. That’s one aspect we’re looking to correct. That’s the last thing you want to be, almost dead last in the league in defense.”

The Bengals also ranked fifth in points allowed (19.1) this season. That included a 42-14 domination of the Vikings in Week 16. Zimmer’s defense set the tone that day in Cincinnati. On the third play of the game, the Bengals sacked Matt Cassel, stripping him of the ball and returning the fumble to the Vikings’ 4-yard line to set up the game’s first touchdown. Zimmer’s defense also held the Vikings to 10 first downs and scored on a pick-six in the game that essentially signaled the end of Frazier having any chance to save his job.

The Vikings, meanwhile, ranked last in points allowed (30.0) and 31st in total defense (397.6 yards per game) and pass defense (287.2).

Although the Vikings want to expand upon their offensive production and consider quarterback their biggest concern, Spielman’s extensive coaching search ultimately zeroed in on defensive minds who had success in 2013.

In a wide-ranging search that included at least 10 candidates that the Vikings either interviewed, requested an interview with or were believed to have an interest in, it was Zimmer, Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn who were reportedly the three finalists.

Zimmer was praised by Parcells recently in a Star Tribune article.

“He’s very competitive, he’s intense,” Parcells said. “I think he’s a smart guy. … Every place that I’ve ever heard that he’s been, the players really liked him. And yet he doesn’t coddle the players at all. He’s got a good balance with that tough love.

“I think now he’s got enough experience to handle the players and the big picture and the scouting and the constraints and the things that the league mandates now. He’s got enough experience to where he’d do a good job.”

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis also has said Zimmer has what it takes to be a head coach.

“Zim does a great job of identifying who to push and when,” Lewis was quoted as saying on the Bengals website. “He helps me by being the guy who puts his foot up their butt, getting them moving in the right direction so I don’t have to be the one to do it all the time.”

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